The Newbie
by Maryline Depp
Summary: Peter went to get the groceries. Something caught his eyes. Someone standing on the bridge, ready to jump... "Nobody cares," she said. "I care!" Peter said as he tried to reach out to her. He brought her back to Horizon... - CHAPTER 4 IS UP
1. Chapter 1

**HIGHER GROUND "The newbie".**

**Summary : **

Peter went to get the groceries. Something caught his eyes. Someone standing on the bridge, about to jump... "Nobody cares," she said. "I care!" Peter said as he tried to reach out to her.

**As always I don't own anything…**

**Author :** Maryline aka Miss SMG DEPP ACKLES

**Date:** January 2012

English isn't my first language...

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><p>Years ago I used to write A LOT and enjoyed it! I haven't written as much since because I felt like my writing wasn't any good.<p>

THANK YOU for your kind messages and reviews on my "old" stories. It made me happy, made me think that maybe some people do enjoy some of my stories. In the "traffic stats" I can see I still get a lot of readers but not many reviews.

I decided to try to write again and hope that you will read, review and please be nice.

I never pretended to be a great writer or anything, I just like writing. Especially with characters you can put yourself into when you can relate to some issues. Or I write about existing characters. Basically I like writing what I would have liked to see in an episode of a tv show I love.

Again, THANK YOU!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 1<strong>

On a Friday night, 9.30 pm, after group, Peter had gone out to buy some groceries himself. It wasn't his job to do that but he wanted to do it himself for once to see more than just Horizon. He just wanted to escape for an hour. Be on his own for a little while. So, that's what he did.

He found the place he wanted to go to after a few minutes and went inside. Once he bought everything he needed he was on the road again, on his way back to the school.

It was quiet, nobody on the road, he could drive peacefully. Not worry about a thing for a change, just drive and listen to the radio.

But suddenly something caught his eyes. He wasn't sure what, someone, it was dark. He stopped the car and got out.

There was someone on the bridge, standing up on the other side of the fence. That person was apparently about to jump and kill her or himself.

Without thinking Peter crossed the road and walked towards that person. That person hadn't heard him coming. Maybe because of the wind. It was a girl, her eyes were shut, she was concentrating, and not noticing what was going on around her. She was lost in her own world, in her thoughts, she was desperate.

Her name was Nicky, she was 16, her life had become too hard, too bad, she didn't have any other solution than this, than end it all. It wasn't her first try but she was determined that this one would be the good one.

Peter was standing just near the fence, near her. He was so close he could hear her breathe and also sobbing a bit as it seemed. He knew he had to say something, do something, but not to freak her out otherwise she'd just let her hands go… and the fall would kill her.

"Hey?" he quietly said.

She wasn't sure she heard something. After he spoke for a second time she turned to face him. He could notice her red and moist eyes. Then, she turned her head back not to face him. He had to have her focus on him, to get her to talk to him.

"I'm Peter," he said. But she didn't seem to care and didn't even look at him again. "What's your name?" She had her eyes shut and just didn't want to be disturbed, he knew it. He also knew he had to be careful and not push her. He had to get her to talk to him but it should be her decision, not his.

"What are you doing here?" he asked trying to have her say a few words.

_As if you don't know_, she thought, annoyed.

"It's cold tonight... you must be cold?" he asked trying to ignore the fact that she was about to try to kill herself. He was trying to have some kind of a 'normal' conversation with her.

She didn't look back at him, "Just go away!"

_Good, I finally got you to say a few words_, he thought quite happy about that. _It's a start._

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that," Peter said, "I'd like to talk with you. You seem sad. You must feel…"

"Don't tell me how I feel!" She said angry, "You don't know me."

"That's true, I don't know you but I'd like to get the chance." He said with a smile even though she wasn't looking. "I told you my name, I'm Peter, maybe you could tell me yours?" he tried again.

"Go away, you're distracting me," she said.

_Good thing_, he thought.

"Like I said, I can't do that, I'd like to have the chance to get to know you," he repeated.

"You're better off without me, there's nothing worth knowing anyway, now leave!" she said and Peter could see her getting weaker by the minute. He also started to feel something else. He could smell her breath.

"I don't agree with you," he started, "You seem like a very lovely person, don't you want to go inside that coffee shop so we can talk?"

"What? Wanna buy me a drink?" she asked, "Got some booze?"

"No, I think you've had enough already."

"Already judging me, wow that was fast!" she was getting very annoyed, "See, I talked, now go!"

Peter was aware that indeed he had gotten her to say a few words but he wouldn't leave her until he knew she was safe and wouldn't harm herself.

"Yes, I'm very happy about that. But I still don't know your name?"

"I'm Nicky, happy now?"

"Very," he said with a charming smile. "Now, Nicky, will you please come back on the other side of the fence?"

"Nope."

This wasn't easy but then again nothing in Peter's life had been easy. He wouldn't give up, he would save this girl. He had to. He was very patient, which was a good thing in his job. He always wanted to help and save everyone. Make a change.

He didn't talk for about a minute and just listened to her breathe. "You don't want to do that, please let me help?"

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" she screamed, "Just leave already!"

He decided to ignore the request. "Something happened? What is it? Why are you here? Can you please talk about it, I'm sure I could try to help you. I want to listen to you."

"Yeah right, and why would I want to talk to you?"

"Because I'm here, I'm willing to listen," Peter said.

"Got a year on your hand?"

_Now we're making progress_, he thought.

"I've got all the time in the world, now come on, I will help you get back on the safe side, please give me your hand."

"There's nothing you can do, I'm done, just leave me alone!" Nicky said as she was trying not to sob.

"I don't believe that, I'm here, you're not alone, tell me what's bothering you and we'll find a solution together," he offered.

And back to silent mode again. Nicky was determined to get him out of the way to get on with her business.

"Fine, you don't want to talk anymore, I get it." Peter was calm.

_No, you don't_, she thought,_ if you did get it you'd shut your mouth and leave me the hell alone._

She was starting to lose her grip and Peter was very concerned. If he tried a move she would probably jump right away.

"I wanna fly with the angels," Nicky said as she let go of one hand.

Peter had to act fast. She let go of her other hand, "Goodbye!" But Peter quickly grabbed her before she fell.

"Let me go!" She screamed. She was very agitated.

"Not a chance!"

He was strong and she was quite skinny so it was no trouble at all for him to get her on the other side of the fence, on the safe side, on the road.

"NOOOO..." she yelled as she was trying to punch him with her tiny fists, "let me go, nobody cares, I wanna die," she said between sobs.

"I care!" he said as they were both sitting on the pavement. He held her in his arms. "I care" he said again.

**...TBC...**

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><p>Coming up next... Peter brings her back to Horizon...  Please review, thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

Nicky was very tired. Mixed up emotions and feelings, alcohol... It was a lot for just one night. She could barely keep her eyes open. Peter helped her get in his car and drove back to Horizon. "Everything's going to be okay," he whispered as he looked at her. As he reached the school, Sophie was waiting outside. The car drove near her and she saw someone asleep on the passenger seat. Peter got out and Sophie opened the other door.

"I'll explain later," Peter said as he saw Sophie's questioning eyes. "Help me get her in bed."

Sophie held the door open as Peter carried Nicky in his arms. He lay her in the guestroom's bed as Sophie took her shoes off and added another blanket on the bed.

"I'm listening," Sophie said as they walked to the kitchen. Peter got some coffee ready. "After I was done with the groceries and on my way back here I saw her standing on the bridge, ready to jump. I went to see what's going on and made contact, talked to her, and grabbed her arm when she let go and was about to fall."

"Oh my God," Sophie said, "Good thing you were there tonight." Peter nodded. "What do you know about her?" she asked. "About nothing, her name is Nicky. I could smell alcohol on her breath." He added, "I brought her back here because I want to help her." Sophie smiled at him, "Always there to help everyone." He took her in his arms and kissed her. They went to bed.

3 a.m, Nicky woke up wondering where she was. "What the F*ck, where am I?" she wondered out loud. She pushed the blanket aside and got up. She put her shoes on and grabbed her purse. She looked around the room, the hallway and took the stairs quietly. She knew it wasn't somewhere she'd already been before. Once downstairs she reached the main door but couldn't open it. "Damn, where's the key?" She looked around and found several keys on the table. She started to try them one by one and was going so fast she dropped one.

Sophie woke up to the noise and told Peter she heard something. They went downstairs and saw Nicky. "What are you doing?" Peter asked. Nicky quickly turned around, scared but didn't say a word. She kept on trying to find the right key to open the door and leave. "You won't find it," Peter said as he walked towards her. "Leave me alone!" Nicky said, "Where am I? What am I doing here? Open that door!" she ordered.

Peter put his hand on her shoulder to try to calm her down but it had the opposite effect. "Don't touch me!" She screamed, "And open that door, I wanna go! You can't keep me here!"

"Calm down," Sophie tried, "we're here to help you, if you would please take a seat and listen to us for a minute."

"I'm done listening, I wanna go!" Nicky was pacing.

"Go where?" Peter asked, "back to that bridge?" Nicky ignored him and threw a fist at the door.

The noise woke everyone up in the dorms. Within minutes, Shelby, Juliette, Daisy, Kat, Scott, Ezra and Auggie where there. They used the key hidden under the doormat. They knew it was there in case they needed something at night. Even though they were aware that Peter and Sophie were never far and always waking up at the smallest noise.

"What's with all the noise?" Shelby asked, annoyed, "and who is that?" she pointed at Nicky.

Blond hair, not too tall not too short, slim body, green eyes... The guys were already drooling. "I don't know who that is but I'm loving what I see," Auggie said. Juliette sighed.

"This is Nicky," Peter said, "she's going to stay with us for a while."

"In your dreams!" Nicky said back, "Now, out of my way!"

But nobody moved. The Cliffhangers stayed in the way so Nicky couldn't leave. "We are here to help you, Nicky, you might not believe us but we care about you," Peter said. Nicky knew it was a waste of time to try to go now with so many people around. She'd try again later. She sighed and didn't allow tears to form in her eyes. She wouldn't give them the satisfaction of sharing emotions and feelings. Was it possible that someone, a stranger, cared about her? Nicky didn't know what to make of it.

"Please, take a seat," Peter pointed at a chair while the kids were wondering what was going on and where Nicky had come from.

"Guys, go back to bed, we'll talk in the morning," Sophie said. They didn't want to go; they were curious and wanted to know what all the action was about. But Sophie insisted, they yawned then sighed before going back to their respective dorms.

Nicky wanted to cry LET ME GO but knew it was useless so she just sat there. She didn't like that Peter and Sophie were starring at her. They were wondering what to say next to get her to feel safe and not angrier than she already was.

"We care about you," Peter said once again as Nicky shot him that 'give me a break!' look. "We want to help you feel better about yourself; we're not here to hurt you. I know you think it's hard to believe, we are strangers to you but we do want to help you."

Nicky didn't say a thing. She wanted to go but then again go where? She went back upstairs, in the guestroom. Peter waited for her to be asleep before sitting in a chair next to the bed to make sure she would stay there, sleep, and not try to escape again.

_I wish I knew what's hurting you so bad_, he thought as he fought to keep his eyes open.

Sophie woke him up at 7 a.m. They were both happy to see that Nicky was still asleep. After all the strong emotions she went through last night she needed the rest.

Peter and Sophie went to the kitchen. "So, what do we do now?" she asked after kissing him, "we don't know a thing about her, her parents must be worried." Peter gave her the 'I know something' look. "So, as we already know her name is Nicky and she's 16 and in foster care."

They didn't see Nicky coming behind. "You went through my things?" she yelled, really upset. "How could you? And you want me to trust you? Who's kidding who? I'm outta here!" she said, glaring up at him as she went for the door again. This time the door was open. Scott came in at the same time she came out, they bumped into each other. "Well, hello there," he said with a smile. "Nicky, calm down, please," Peter said, "I am sorry for going through your purse, if you would just..." Too late, Nicky was gone.

Scott knew he had to do something. Peter and Sophie seemed really worried about that girl. He didn't know what it was but wanted to try to help. He went after her and touched her shoulder. "Hey Nicky, I'm Scott, not cool what they did back there, I know but you can consider yourself lucky," he started to explain as she finally stopped to listen to him. "When I got here they searched all my stuff, my clothes, I had to stand in my underwear..." he said with a smile. To his surprise Nicky smiled back. "I've been here a while, trust me they're not that bad, if you could just give them a chance, what do you have to lose after all?" It got Nicky thinking. "Please, come back inside and we'll all have breakfast together. And you don't even have to say a word if you don't want to."

Shelby wasn't standing far and was getting annoyed, and jealous. She didn't like it when Scott got close to another girl and this was way too close. She could see the smiles, his and hers, and didn't like it one bit. She was about to walk up to them when Daisy stopped her. "Don't be so jealous, they're just talking," she said trying to comfort her friend.

Scott led Nicky back inside. The rest of the Cliffhangers followed. They all sat down for breakfast. Juliette and Auggie were on kitchen duty for the week so only joined them after everyone had food on their plate.

Peter shot Scott a 'thank you' smile and Scott nodded 'you're welcome'.

The kids talked some but Nicky didn't say a word unless spoken to and even then it was as few words as possible.

"Is that all you're eating?" Auggie asked, "You're gonna be starving very soon?" Shelby then had a look at Nicky's plate. Not much on it. "Oh goodie, don't tell me we've got ourselves another Juliette on our hands now," she said. "Hey!" Juliette complained, "Be nice!" "Oh shut it, twig!" Shelby said back.

**...TBC...**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

While the Cliffhangers were finishing eating Peter had gone back to his office to call the authorities to let them know about Nicky being here.

As she was in foster care he had to call the concerned people and explain the situation. He had hoped to learn more about her.

He was only on the phone for about ten minutes.

Sophie was standing nearby, waiting to know more.

"So?" she asked, hoping to get details.

"I'm afraid we don't know more. She's been to several foster homes. She never stays for long. She's very quiet and private," he said and let out a sigh.

"That I've noticed," she said.

She was wondering why different families. What could have happened. Nicky seemed like a good kid. Not at all the tough kind.

"And why has she been to several families, what happened?" Sophie asked him.

"That they didn't want to say. They just said she wasn't a fit," Peter said.

"What kind of parents would want a child then give it up when they're not exactly the way they wish," Sophie couldn't understand.

Peter nodded. He agreed with her.

"They just said she was spending a lot of time alone in her room and was barely saying a word," Peter added.

"No wonder she feels rejected, and like nobody cares about her," Sophie said.

Peter couldn't agree more. Sophie sighed. She was feeling sad for Nicky. She deserved better than that.

"I'm telling you there is something about that girl, something big," she said.

"I know. She wanted to end her life. It's serious. I just hope she'll let us in so we can try to help her."

"Me too," Sophie said. "She's still here, that's a start."

Peter liked that she cared as much as he did. Their job was important to them. They loved those kids like they were their own.

He came closer and kissed her.

After breakfast it was group time. Then, they were supposed to go hiking. But none of them were feeling up to it just now.

It was Saturday so no classes today. That was something positive already. But still, they wanted to do normal things.

They dreamed of the day they could just sit and do nothing or maybe watch some tv or play video games. Things normal teenagers do.

Nicky still didn't speak much. Once breakfast was over and she barely ate a thing she followed the rest of the Cliffhangers. They mentioned the group thing but she had no idea what it meant. She had a questioning look on her face but didn't ask.

"Group is a bit like therapy," Juliette explained with her usual smile.

Nicky sighed, not something she was interested in.

"Peter's great, you'll see," Juliette added, still smiling.

"He's cool, you just have to give him and this place a chance," Auggie said.

"You don't have to pour your heart out," Scott added.

"You say whatever you wanna say, how you feel, the usual," Ezra said.

_How boring_, Nicky thought.

They walked in and Peter was already sitting there, waiting for them. He asked everyone to sit down and decided not to pressure Nicky by asking her questions right away.

He didn't want to take a risk and have her run away again.

He was happy she was still here.

Like always Peter asked them to start by telling how they felt. And Juliette went first.

_How surprising_, Shelby thought.

"Good," Juliette said with a smile as she always enjoyed having new people around. "Auggie,"

"Sleepy, Daisy,"

"Bored, Ezra,"

"Okay, Scott,"

"Same, Shelby,"

"Annoyed, Kat,"

"Good."

Then everyone stared at Nicky, expecting her to say something. She was feeling very uncomfortable. Being the center of attention wasn't her thing. She didn't like it one bit.

"See, now it's your turn to say how you feel," Shelby said very calmly, mocking her, like she was stupid and didn't understand the game.

"Shelby!" Peter said in an unkind tone that made her shut up.

Sophie came in.

"It's okay, Nicky, you don't have to say anything," she said.

"Now that's rude, how come we always have to talk even when we don't feel like it but she gets a free pass?" Shelby went on.

"Interested in a week of kitchen duty?" Peter asked with a smile on his face.

Shelby crossed her arms and kept her mouth shut.

"Nicky will speak when she feels comfortable," Sophie said and smiled at Nicky.

_I just hope we won't get the silent treatment_, Peter thought.

Peter asked everyone how they felt about hiking as it was the plan but nobody was happy about it. Having someone new around changed things a bit. They liked the mystery. They wanted to get to know the newbie.

In a way Peter didn't want to go and force Nicky to join and have her try to escape the first chance she got.

And at the same time he didn't want to go with the Cliffhangers and leave her alone with a few other counselors here. He wanted to be there to keep an eye on her in person.

"I guess we can do that another day," he said and saw several relieved faces around him.

"But let's not make a habit out of it, plans are plans," he added.

"And rules are rules, we know," Daisy said.

"What do we do today then?" Juliette asked.

"Oh no, don't ask, I'm pretty sure we won't like the answer to that one," Shelby said before Peter shot her that look again.

"How about we ask Nicky what she feels like doing today?" Peter suggested.

He quickly regretted asking that. He could see once again that Nicky felt uncomfortable.

_She obviously hates being the center of attention_, he thought.

"Good idea," Scott said.

"But of course," Shelby complained.

She didn't like that Scott agreed with Peter or anyone else when it came to Nicky. And most of all she didn't like the fact that Scott seemed to like Nicky.

"Oh shut up, Shelby, you're just jealous," Juliette said.

"Jealous, me jealous? Of what exactly?" Shelby retorted.

Peter quickly calmed them down before it went too far.

Nicky hated being in the middle of the action.

"So, Nicky, is there anything you'd like to do?" Peter asked her again.

But Nicky didn't answer. She just shrugged. She didn't really care.

But having all those people staring at her was too much.

"Yeah, Nicky, don't keep us waiting now," Shelby opened up her mouth again.

"That's it, Shelby, one week of kitchen for you," Peter said.

"Just leave me alone," Nicky said as she got up.

_Great_, Peter thought sarcastically.

"Not a chance," Peter said as he followed her.

"What? You gonna restrain me to a bed or something?"

"Is that what you're afraid of?" Peter asked. "Being held somewhere or with someone against your will?"

Peter decided that now that Nicky had started to speak some it was his chance to try to see what was going on. What she was thinking. Everything she said was a clue. A start.

"I just want to be left alone," she repeated.

Peter walked up to her and gently grabbed her arm.

"Don't you touch me!" Nicky screamed.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Peter said.

"Yeah right, I've heard that before, that's what they all say."

"Who's they, Nicky? Did someone hurt you?"

Nicky didn't answer. She didn't need to. Peter could see it on her face. Nicky tried hard to fight the tears and just walked towards the girls' dorm.

Sophie wasn't standing far from the Cliffhangers. She had seen and heard it all. She told Peter she was going to the dorm to see if Nicky needed anything. Peter stayed with the kids.

"Do you need anything, Nicky?" Sophie asked in the dorm. "Can I bring you something?"

"I just want to be left alone, is that too much to ask?" she yelled.

"We're here for you," Sophie tried again.

_Get lost_, Nicky wanted to scream.

Nicky rolled her eyes and just sat on her bed. She was still strong enough to fight the tears. She didn't want anyone to see her cry.

".Alone!" she yelled again.

Sophie knew there wasn't much she could do or say at the moment. She went back to Peter.

"I'm sad to see her hurt like that," she said.

"I know."

They were sad. They were concerned and knew they had to wait for her to calm down. Forcing her to talk wouldn't be the answer. She had to talk when she felt ready. And they would be there for her anytime, day and night.

"Juliette, can you come here a minute?" Peter asked.

"Sure," she said.

Juliette was always smiling. She liked having new people around and she liked feeling a new connection. She couldn't really say why but she liked Nicky already. She just wished other people, like Shelby, could be nicer to her.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"As you saw Nicky isn't doing too well right now. She's in the dorm. Sophie just went there and it would be nice if you could just go read or something for a while and…"

"I get it, Peter, you want me to keep an eye on her and not ask any questions, just be there in case something happens, in case she needs a friend to talk to?" she guessed.

Peter smiled.

"Exactly," he said.

Juliette was happy to be given an assignment. Not really an assignment but she always felt happy when she was asked to do something or hang with the newbie.

She sat on her bed and looked at Nicky.

"You okay?" Juliette decided to try to break the ice.

"I'm fine," Nicky lied.

"Good, you're talking to me, thank you," Juliette smiled.

Nicky seemed to start to calm down. She had nothing against that Juliette girl, she was nice.

"Well, I'm not gonna ask you anything, I just came here to read a bit," She lied.

"They asked you to come keep an eye on me?" Nicky asked. She wasn't stupid.

"They're just worried about you. They really care, you know," Juliette said.

"I'm just gonna hang around here for a while. Just keep in mind that if you do want to talk I'm here, I don't bite," Juliette offered.

Nicky didn't say a thing but Juliette could almost read a 'Thank you' in her eyes.

**...TBC...**

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><p><strong>THANK YOU FOR READING SO FAR. More chapters soon.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

_**To Thorn:**_ **Thank you** very much for your review :) Of course I am not mad at all. Everything you said is true. I can't believe I haven't thought of that. Of course it's illegal to hold a minor to Horizon against her will. In Chapter 3 I said Peter called the authorities and concerned people to explain the situation. But I should have said that before he "kidnapped" her on the bridge and brought her back to Horizon. I'll try to be more careful about details in my next stories. Thank you again for taking the time to read and review :)

And **thank you** to the other reviewers (is that a word? Sorry, English isn't my language) as well!

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 4 <strong>

About an hour later Nicky and Juliette came out of the dorm. Peter and Sophie looked from a distance. Nicky seemed a little bit more relaxed, less angry.

"She seems to be better," Sophie said with a smile.

"Yes, and she seems to be talking to Juliette. At least she's not given the silent treatment," he said.

"Give her a chance, Peter, she'll open up to you soon I'm sure," Sophie replied.

"I hope so," Peter sighed.

Scott walked up to Juliette and Nicky while Daisy and Shelby were hanging out together a few feet away. But Shelby wouldn't keep her eyes off Scott. She didn't like the fact that he seemed to be interested in the new girl even though Daisy tried to tell her that he was just being friendly.

"How's it going?" Scott asked looking at Nicky.

"We're fine," Juliette replied with her usual smile.

"What did Peter decide we do today?" Juliette asked as she was getting curious.

"Actually we still have no idea."

"Right, he asked ME what I wanted to do," Nicky finally said.

Shelby and Daisy walked up behind them.

"Wow, she speaks now!" Shelby started to make fun of Nicky again. "So, what's it gonna be, blondie?" she asked.

"Shelby, please," Scott complained.

"Come over here," Daisy took her friend away for a minute.

"What are you doing?" Shelby asked annoyed.

"Are you kidding me? Peter is right there looking at us, do you want more chores?"

"Oh, you're right, but I still don't like it!" Shelby complained again. "What does she have that I don't?"

Daisy didn't reply.

"The list is long," Juliette, who'd heard everything, replied to get back at Shelby.

Shelby shot her a killing look. She was ready to open her dirty mouth again but quickly shut up as she noticed that Peter was walking over.

Peter decided not to annoy Nicky anymore and let her make the first move and talk to him about anything she wanted when she felt like it. He would try to avoid pressuring her. It was sometimes hard because he just wanted to know what was going on, what was bothering her, or anyone else, and try to help any way he could.

"So, Peter, what are we doing today?" Daisy asked.

Shelby stared at Nicky again and Peter quickly made her stop. He didn't want Nicky to feel uncomfortable all over again.

To everyone's surprise Nicky opened her mouth.

"I know it's dumb but I'd like to learn to play poker," she shyly said.

"It's not dumb at all," Peter said with a smile.

He was happy that Nicky spoke. She chose what they were going to do today. Not the entire day, of course, but for a few hours. It was a start.

"Yay, let's play poker," Juliette said in a very happy mood.

They all went inside and sat around a table. Peter was really glad that Nicky had finally spoken and decided what to do. Every step, as little as it was, was a step in the right direction.

"First things first! Who knows how to play poker and who doesn't?" Peter asked.

"I know," Scott said.

"Me, too," Daisy said.

"Me, three," Ezra said and everyone laughed just a little bit.

The tension seemed to be gone, for now anyway. Everyone seemed relaxed.

"I knew how to play but haven't for a while," Auggie said.

"Don't worry it'll come back fast enough," Peter replied.

"I also know how to play," Kat said.

"Good, so then we're plenty to teach Nicky, Shelby and Juliette," Peter said with a smile.

They started to play very slowly, explaining every step of the game so everyone could understand and follow.

Peter was looking at Nicky's cards while explaining so he could help see what cards to keep and what cards to change. Scott with Shelby and Auggie with Juliette.

"So, when can we take out our money?" Ezra asked.

Of course, the guys wanted to gamble and even though it seemed clear they would play for money Ezra still had to ask.

"Umm how about never?" Peter replied.

"Oh c'mon, it'd be fun," Scott said.

"How is it fun to lose money?" Peter asked.

"Well, not fun to lose but a lot of fun to win, and I know the game pretty well," Scott smirked.

"So, how fun is it to take your friends' money? Do you think it's fun to them?" Peter asked.

"I'll buy new friends with the money I'll make," Scott teased.

"Haha, very funny," Juliette said.

Out of nowhere Auggie put a 5 dollar note on the table. Of course, Peter quickly noticed and didn't appreciate the joke.

"C'mon, Peter, it's just 5 dollars, let's play the real thing for one game," Auggie tried.

Scott and Ezra smiled and were ready to reach for their wallet as well when Peter decided the joke was over.

"A week of kitchen, how does that sound?" he asked Auggie.

"Umm, tempting, but no thanks," Auggie said as he put the money back in his wallet.

"There, that's better," Peter said and flashed a smile.

They kept playing for around an hour and the girls who didn't know how to play before were starting to get the game. No more tensions, just fun, real fun, like normal teenagers members of a same team. Now Nicky seemed ready to join the group. Peter decided it was his chance to get her to make another decision.

"Nicky, as you know I called the authorities and all the people concerned to let them know you were here," he started to explain as he looked at her.

Nicky was obviously starting to get uncomfortable again.

"The question is, do you want to go back in foster care?" he asked hoping she would say no.

She didn't say a thing.

"You would have to go back to the last family you were staying with before they figure out if it's a fit or not and possibly find another family."

Peter could see the panic in Nicky's eyes.

"NO! Please, don't send me back there," she said as she fought back the tears.

Peter knew there was something going on. And he also knew not to pressure her by asking tons of questions now. The time would come.

"Or you could stay with us and be an official student here. Of course, you would have chores like everyone else; and you have to attend classes, group, do your homework…" Peter went on and on and kept looking at Nicky the whole time to see her reaction.

"It's not camp," he finally added.

"Geez you really know how to sell the place," Shelby teased.

"C'mon, stay with us," Juliette asked.

"Yeah, we're good people," Scott said.

"Speak for yourself," Auggie joked. "No, seriously, we're kinda nice," he said with a smile.

"It's not all bright," Shelby said to try to get Nicky to go back to where she came from.

Peter once again shot her that look.

Everyone waited for Nicky to finally say something. After a few minutes she opened her mouth.

"Okay," she said.

"Okay, what?" Peter wanted her to say it.

"Okay, I'm… I'm staying," Nicky said.

"Yay," Juliette said clapping her hands like a child who'd just won something big.

"Welcome to Horizon, then," Peter said smiling. "We're happy to have you here with us!"

Shelby sighed. She was not happy. Daisy calmed her down before she could say something she'd regret, again.

"Where's the cake?" Juliette joked.

"Why? So you can give it back in the bathroom?" Shelby spat.

"Not funny!" Juliette complained.

"Shelby, that's enough," Peter said.

He then turned to Nicky again.

"As in every school there are rules here," Peter said and waited to be sure to get her full attention.

"The rules here are real simple. There's no drugs, there's no sex, there's no inappropriate touching and there's no violence," Peter said.

He paused and Nicky nodded that she understood.

"The key to Horizon is that it's a safe place, it's a sanctuary," most of the kids said together just as Peter was about to say so.

"See, everyone knows the rules by heart," Peter teased.

They had all been given the same speech when they first came in so they knew it all.

"So, what now?" Ezra asked.

"Now, it's time for Auggie and Juliette to go help in the kitchen as they're on kitchen duty," Peter replied.

"Right," Juliette sighed as she got up.

"For a minute there I thought you forgot," she added.

"Keep this in mind… I never forget anything," Peter teased.

"Oh yeah, we know," Scott said.

"But… there's always a first time…" Shelby said.

"Having that dream again?" Peter smiled.

Everyone laughed.

**...TBC...**

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><p><strong>THANK YOU FOR READING SO FAR. More chapters soon.<strong>


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